A blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Negrette from the estate vineyards of Jérémie Mourat in the western Loire Valley. Fruity, floral, minerally and deep…the Collection rouge is one part in a series of three wines—the other two, a rosé that mirrors the composition of the red, and a blended white of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. […]

Have you ever met a winemaker that seems totally unafraid? Grounded and uncomplicated? No type-A, in-your-face manifesto, philosophy or secret stash of skills for which stand solely as the barrier between great wine and everything else? When you meet those winemakers you can’t help but start questioning the fluff and ego that gets credit for the success of the wines we drink. […]

2014 could mark the end of an era, or perhaps just the beginning of new things. 3 years, 4 harvests, each so unique I sometimes feel like the only common thread is that I spent them all with Winemaker Michael Lundeen at Walnut City Wineworks. 2011 was my debut vintage, as well as a difficult harvest, and looking […]

Jean-Paul Brun · 2012 · Bourgogne · Terres Dorees · Beaujolais, France 2012 is going to be a scant vintage in Burgundy to say the least. It was the first half of the year that really set the tone. The weather was, well, shit. It was cold, wet and punctuated by a weak, drawn out flowering, spoty fruit set, frosts […]

I like forward thinking in winemaking. I like winemakers that separate themselves from the pack on just the hope that maybe somebody will understand and appreciate what they’re trying to do. And I believe that’s exactly what André Ostertag is doing here. So here’s the breakdown… André’s family domaine and roots are in Alsace, he trained in […]

From a geographical standpoint, the Jura is not all that complicated. Just four regional appellations comprise this north/south swath east of Burgundy: Arbois, Côtes du Jura, Château-Chalon, and L’Etoile. Straight forward enough, but that is about where the simplicity ends. The wines, on the other hand, can be confusing. All in one breath, they can be trendy and unknown, […]

2011, in Oregon, was one of those years that was basically declared a disaster before fruit even started rolling in. Oh, but what a mistake it was if you were one of the defeatists. Sugar levels were low and botrytis was an issue, but after a lifesaving Indian summer and super long fruit hang times, […]

I finally unloaded a harvest’s worth of pictures from my phone this morning. It’s hard to imagine a better working adventure than harvest in Oregon, so here it is, round 1 of my favorite photos. [Paella dinner in the Dundee Hills with the Walnut City crew.] [A view from Belle Pente Winery at their estate […]

Burgundy is complicated: the wine, the geography, the influence of vintage. Thankfully, there are some basic guidelines to follow. Burgundy is divided into a north, and a south; Pinot Noir is the heartbeat of the reds, Chardonnay of the whites. The most sought-after Pinot Noir is considered to be a product of the north, or […]

It’s hard to know where to start wrapping something like this up—and it certainly can’t be done in one post. My life was changed, this I know, and I have what feels like a years’ worth of personal, mental debriefing to do. [A post-fermentation pH testing.]

When I arrived at Walnut City Wineworks over a month ago, my eyes immediately fell on WF1 (white fermenter 1, we assume), a 2000+ gallon oak fermenter whose age is unknown, 25+ years maybe. She was one of the most recent additions to the facility after Michael Lundeen, the winemaker, took his post at WCW […]

It’s turkey season! That didn’t mean a whole lot to me before I moved to VT—but I know better now. This is serious business. For 30 days, my co-worker, John, wakes up before 4:00 am, heads into the woods, settles in, waits for dawn, makes some sexy hen noises, and draws in a big ‘ole […]